In Addition to Controversial Political Gag on F1 Drivers, FIA Tightens the Leash on “Misconduct” With New Rule
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Formula One F1 – Bahrain Grand Prix – Bahrain International Circuit, Sakhir, Bahrain – March 20, 2022 Red Bull’s Max Verstappen and Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc line up with drivers before the race REUTERS/Hamad I Mohammed
F1 is traditionally a non-contact sport, with all the contact restricted to cars on track. Though there have been instances where the drivers having a full rush of adrenaline may get involved in physical fights. The FIA penalizes serious offenses such as assault. But, along with this, the FIA has included another transgression in the aspects of misconduct by drivers.
The FIA has updated its International Sporting Code for 2023. In this updated version, the governing body has updated the definition of “Misconduct”.
As per the official document from the FIA website, the definition of Misconduct in Article 20 also states, “the general use of language (written or verbal), gesture and/or sign that is offensive, insulting, coarse, rude or abusive and might reasonably be expected or be perceived to be coarse or rude or to cause offense, humiliation or to be inappropriate.”
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20 March 2022, Bahrain, Sakhir: Motorsport: Formula 1 World Championship, Bahrain Grand Prix, race. Spain’s Fernando Alonso (top left to bottom right) of Alpine F1 Team, France’s Esteban Ocon of Alpine F1 Team, China’s Guanyu Zhou of Team Alfa Romeo, Finland’s Valtteri Bottas of Team Alfa Romeo, Britain’s Alexander Albon of Team Williams Racing, Canada’s Nicholas Latifi of Team Williams Racing, Germany’s Mick Schumacher of Haas F1 Team, Denmark’s Kevin Magnussen of Haas F1 Team, France’s Pierre Gasly of Team AlphaTauri, Japan’s Yuki Tsunoda of Team AlphaTauri, Australia’s Daniel Ricciardo of Team McLaren, Britain’s Lando Norris of Team McLaren, Britain’s George Russel of Team Mercedes, Britain’s Lewis Hamilton of Team Mercedes, Dutch driver Max Verstappen of Team Red Bull Racing, Mexico’s Sergio Perez of Team Red Bull Racing, Monaco’s Charles Leclerc of Team Ferrari, Spain’s Carlos Sainz Jr. from Team Ferrari, the Canadian Lance Stroll from Team Aston Martin and the German Nico Hülkenberg from Team Aston Martin. Photo: Hasan Bratic/dpa (Photo by Hasan Bratic/picture alliance via Getty Images)
So, as per this latest updated version of the ISC, FIA can penalize any driver who may use coarse or abusive language towards any other driver or any individual in the sport. This is another big step in monitoring what drivers say, in addition to the latest political statements gag.
The rule states that drivers won’t be allowed to make any political, religious, or personal statements. The reason for this update is to maintain the neutrality of the sport.
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Drivers will have to get approval before portraying any sort of political or religious message. So, there are possibilities that Lewis Hamilton may or may not get to showcase his standing for various socially sensitive issues if the FIA feels it’s violating the neutrality of F1.
The F1 drivers who might be affected by the ISC update by the FIA
Lewis Hamilton is the first name that comes into mind when someone mentions political or personal comments on several issues. The 7-time world champion has been a staunch supporter of the BLM movement. He has also put on several T-shirts portraying specific social issues and requested justice for the same.
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So Lewis may be one of the prominent drivers who gets affected by this ruling. Sebastian Vettel is another driver who has supported the LGBTQ+ community’s rights and Issues related to climate change and the Environment. But as he is now retired from the sport, he won’t be affected by this FIA update.
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Formula One F1 – Hungarian Grand Prix – Hungaroring, Budapest, Hungary – August 1, 2021 Aston Martin’s Sebastian Vettel wearing a rainbow shirt before the race Pool via REUTERS/Florion Goga
Besides the political comments, several drivers often use coarse language on team radio. But unless we get to see the implemented rule in the 2023 season, there can be no speculation on which drivers may get affected due to the language misconduct update.
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Watch This Story: When F1 drivers got into Physical fights after heated on-track moments
Nonetheless, all drivers will have to tread very carefully to avoid any unnecessary punishments for misconduct. What do you think of the latest updates of the ISC by the FIA?
Written by:
Edited by:
Varunkumaar Chelladurai
